UNIVERSAL LOAD BANKS - Key Persons
Chirag joined ULB in September 2019, and is responsible for accounting activities. He leverages his skills in cost analysis, problem solving and critical thinking to analyze cost accounting data and optimize resource utilization, cost savings and resource management.
Before joining ULB, Chirag worked with the FutureNet Group in the United States, and before that, for 14 years with the Somika Group in Africa, where he led a team of 30 accounting personnel. His accomplishments include setting up the accounting function from the ground up for one of his previous employers.
Chirag has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Saurashtra University Gujarat, India.
John Bertram is among the first group of employees who started working at ULB in 2016, which at that time part of Testek Solutions.
John focused on product development during the initial phases of his career at ULB and all the standard load banks in ULB's armory were developed by John and team.
John now heads the sales team as the V.P Sales. John currently manages all aspects of load bank sales. John developed the product brochures, data sheets, sales process, pricing policy, quote templates, recruited and trained sales personnel during the first few years in ULB. John developed a network of agents in US and Abroad to expand ULBs reach. John prides in the quick turn around of quotes and because of the efforts taken by him, at ULB a standard quote can be sent out in few hours.
John is an active member of EGSA (Electrical Generating Systems Association). His prior experience includes Vice President at Load Banks Direct, LLC (2013-2015), Load Bank Product Manager at Powerohm Resistors (2011-2013), Vice President of Avtron Loadbank, Inc. (1995-2010), Vice President of Engineering at Post Glover Resistors (1987-1995) and T&D Design Engineer at American Electric Power (1985-1987).
John has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.
Job Titles:
- VP of Business Development
Mark started his career as Ground Support Technician in the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force Mark troubleshot and maintained Load Banks, Test Stands, Start-Carts and GPU's. He was honorably discharged after four years of service with the rank of Sergeant.
Mark was hired as a Load Bank Test Technician at Avtron Manufacturing Inc in 1989. During his 30 plus years at Avtron, Mark was promoted to various Sales & Leadership positions. In 2011 Mark was elevated to Director of US Load Bank Sales & Marketing, prior to the purchase of Avtron by ASCO Power Technologies.
While at ASCO, Mark managed and grew both National and Rental Accounts and held various senior sales positions. When Schneider Electric purchased ASCO Power Technologies in 2017, Mark was promoted to Load Bank Marketing Manager for the North American Market.
Mark is a published author with Load Bank chapters in both the Fourth and Fifth Edition of the Electrical Generating Systems Association (EGSA) Reference Book. He has also written countless load bank articles and white papers for trade publications. Mark is a Load Bank Instructor for the EGSA Rowley School which annually holds both in person & virtual sessions.
He holds a degree in Aerospace Technology from the College of the Air Force (CCAF) and received certification from the Advanced Leadership School at Emerson Electric.
Mark will be strategically growing Universal Load Bank Market share along with providing solutions for emerging markets. Mark will also champion Universal Load Banks Marketing strategy with focus on Webinars, Product Training and "Voice of Customer" feedback.
Monali Patel is CTO of Universal Load Banks. The engineering team at ULB is responsible for developing, designing and testing of all load banks.
During the initial days of ULB, Mona helped design the prototypes which later became our production models. At ULB, Mona developed the engineering guidelines, test procedures, process control and wrote the ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems manual, procedures and developed various forms. Mona leads the continuous improvement initiative at ULB, which focuses of product quality, usability, and maintainability. Monali has 20 years of experience in Aerospace Testing, Power Generation, Test Equipment, Electrical, and Software Design. She started her career at Testek Solutions, where she became Vice President of Engineering.
Monali has a Bachelors of Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Pranav Desai joined Universal Load Banks in September 2021 as a Project Engineer. He is responsible for designing Load Banks, and executing Load Bank projects. Pranav is also responsible for assisting sales team by identifying customer requirements, creating proposals, supply chain management, testing, providing start-up training in the field or remotely, and various customer support activities.
Before joining ULB, Pranav worked with Testek Solutions for 2 years where he was involved in designing Aircraft Generator Test Stands/Load Banks, and in new product development projects.
Prior to Testek, Pranav worked in Margen Impex Private Limited for 6 years as a Senior Electrical Engineer. He was involved in design, product development, production, supply chain management, process control, testing and other electrical engineering activities.
Pranav has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from RGPV University in India.
Raghu Varma was named Chief Operating Officer of Universal Load Banks in June, 2020.
As COO, Raghu is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of ULB, including Sales & Marketing, Sales Customer Support, Production Planning, Inventory Management, Sub Contracting and Vendor Management.
Raghu has more than 25 years professional experience in Aerospace Testing and Integration, Power Generation, Surface Finishing and Hydraulics.
Before joining ULB, Raghu served as Vice President of Sales at Testek Solutions for 17 years, where he was responsible for a five-fold increase in revenue. He was instrumental in helping Testek develop key accounts with the Military, as well as expanding the company's reach in Asia and the Middle East. He was also responsible for key product development programs, and the modernization of Testek's internal systems.
Prior to Testek, Raghu worked in India as a Product Manager and Engineer with Rinac, Nordson and Siemens.
Raghu has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in India.
Shilpa is ULB's CFO. She is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of ULB and making decisions based on the ULB's financial stability. Shilpa is involved in cash flow analysis, large procurement negotiations, implementing best practices for company finances and coming up with strategic plans to improve ULB's overall financial health
Shilpa spent her entire career at Testek and later than Aero Test Group a holding company of Avtron and Testek, where she was the Chief Administration Officer. Shilpa's background includes overseeing various administration functions from Finance, Human Resources, and IT.
Shilpa holds a bachelor's in finance from Walsh College and a Masters in Management, Strategy and Leadership from Michigan State University.
Tejas Patel joined Universal Load Banks in 2021. As Sales Manager, Tejas is responsible for managing sales activities, including responding to customer RFQs, and other sales support activities.
He has more than 14 years of professional experience as a Mechanical Engineer, including 11 years designing hydraulics components in the Aerospace and Defense industries.
Before joining ULB, Tejas worked as an engineering consultant with Margen Impex Ltd in India, where he was involved in project management, production scheduling, customer and sales support. Prior to Margen Impex Ltd, Tejas served as an Engineering Manager at Westfield Hydraulics Inc, CA, where he was responsible for managing day-to-day engineering activities. He was also responsible for new product development programs, and improving existing product designs.
Before Westfield Hydraulics Inc, He worked as a Senior Design Engineer at Donaldson Company Inc, CA, where he was involved in the design, development, test and production release of various hydraulic filtration products.
Tejas has a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bridgeport, CT, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Gujarat University in India.
Yash Patel joined ULB in 2019. As Operations Manager, Yash is responsible for Purchasing, Inventory and Production, Accounts Payable and Receivable, Logistics, and Shipping & Receiving.
Before joining ULB, Yash worked at Testek Solutions as a Receiving/Inventory coordinator. Prior to Testek, he worked as a General Manager for Food Business, managing two Subway locations.
Yash has a degree in Business Administration.